Lord British: "Most game designers really just suck"

It had the world, but not the details and secrets and the Zelda shit, because let's face it, U9 was a zelda clone (and that was also part of the problems for the fanbase)

 

Game designers don't really do anything significant in most big games. They just iterate on whatever was popular at the time the game got funded by their publisher.

Look at board games and you see evidence that it is possible to be good at game design without tons of luck being involved and it is possible to generate unique ideas. You just have to be in a medium that rewards it. Board games are much more gamist than video games are these days and gamism benefits game designers. Plus board games are a more limited medium, both physically and computationally. Computer games are more of a blank slate and art with no limit imposed on the artist is rarely art at all. (I'm using art in more of the craftsman sense, so don't get your panties in a twist.)

 

Sounds a lot like Moribund. I wonder if they are members of the same race. Or maybe the same person...

Anyway, it's very interesting to read about these intimate details of game design, about these notebooks and stuff. I'm always fascinated by the process of creation.

I would argue that computer games are more limited due to the budgets and amount of people involved.

 

Funny, I see job ads asking for "game design degree or related" all the time.

 

"or related" usually means "feel free to show us whatever cool shit you made on your own". At least, that's what it means in the programming field.

 

protip: you'll get hired if you convince your boss that he should hire you

 

In lieu of a school course or favors, people rise through various departments. Shigeru Miyamoto started in the art department, was given more and more responsibilities, proved leadership qualities, etc. Well, that was then when games were simple arcade affairs. Might be a Japanese thing to.o Nomura at SE did the same.

 

I would challenge you to show me the job listing that asks for "game design or related degree" with zero experience.

Usually such a posting will also include something like "credited on 3 shipped AAA games" as the primary requirement and the degree they are asking for is just because the HR person had to fill something in under education.

 

And Cleve. It shouldn't be much of a surprise that game developers are arrogant, the job description is literally "playing God."

 

If you are talking about something like lead designer, of course they require that shit. We're not talking about that, we're talking about the more entry level stuff. Educational background is almost entirely irrelevant once you've gotten your first job in a field.

 

I'm not talking about lead designer either. I'm talking about a standard game design position that works for a lead on a team.

 

I don't recall Cleve ever being arrogant, even when he was boasting about stuff.

 

Experience is all that matters for non-entry level positions. Those game design degrees are just a scam to bilk people out of money. For entry-level they'll hire anyone with a pulse + demonstrated abilities depending on the position, i.e. artwork, level design via mods, etc.

 

I still have an old issue of a pc gaming magazine from circa 1998/9 in which Seth Mendelsohn (who re-wrote U9's plot with RG) states that the new releases of Mario and, specially, Zelda, were two of the most important influences of the team who was developing U9. It's funny that Ocarina of Time feels more like an open world game than U9 (or at least I though so 13 years ago).

 

Well, apparently he "apologized" on Facebook in a two pages PDF. Note the quotations marks, because what he actually says is that he is a not that good artist, that there are better programmers than him, that all game designers suck but please don't hold it back against him.